[Xuan Li cosplay] The Legend of Luo Xiao-Hei: Lanxi Town Booth Manning Offline Diary

Day 1 manning the booth basically consisted of standing around frozen and completely disconnected; the reception inside the venue didn't cooperate at all with zero bars of signal. Taking it in stride, I basically turned into the Statue of Liberty, staring blankly while holding up a useless phone.

Without any internet connection to scroll on my phone or check messages, I had no choice but to wander around the CPG 08 venue. The crowds were immense, practically pushing everyone forward, so I walked and paused to browse merch and posters at various booths just to pass the time.

This time I was doing a Xuan Li cosplay from The Legend of Luo Xiao-Hei (Lanxi Town), and put quite a bit of effort into the costume, hair, and props. Although the white T-shirt is minimalistic, to match the vibe of the setting, I specifically paired it with a red cord. I wound the red cord myself before leaving home, wrapping it around my neck multiple times to hang down, which, paired with the textured black hair and pink Elf ears props, created high visual recognition at the convention through bold color contrast. The purple colored contacts were worn for about half a day; my eyes got dry, so I kept lubricating eye drops handy in my bag. Before heading out, I styled the wig thoroughly with a curling iron to keep it from flattening and losing its energy.

Photo 1 is a front-facing shot captured during a brief gap in the crowd; because there were passersby on the left background, it was brushed over in post-processing, looking slightly mottled but keeping the overall composition clean. This look naturally exudes a cool, aloof serenity—even just standing obediently, facial contours look smooth and clean.

In the afternoon, tired from walking, I slipped over beside the storage racks stacked with cardboard boxes to rest. Grabbing a random pair of black semi-rimmed glasses left nearby, putting them on instantly shifted the vibe into that of an exhausted academic nerd—which is Photo 2. The black-rimmed glasses combined with falling bangs gave off a suave, subtly roguish charm with maximum contrast.

Having no signal at the convention was frustrating, yet unexpectedly allowed me to put my phone down. Usually glued to screens, being completely offline here—hearing the bustling chatter and announcements, and watching fellow fans walk by in all kinds of looks—offered an immersion that scrolling through a phone could never replace.

Between booth shifts, I also chatted with other cosplayer friends about makeup, wig textures, and details. Even though the on-site internet was terrible and messages went unanswered, shooting the breeze face-to-face with fellow fans was far more entertaining. This easygoing rhythm of wandering around, mixed with offline anxiety and the fun of trying on glasses, left behind deeply vivid, tangible memories from this convention experience.